In general, the present invention concerns packaging made of cardboard or the like and, in particular, packaging for a bottle.
More precisely, the invention concerns packaging for a bottle, comprising an envelope formed from an impermeable and approximately planar cardboard blank, which is folded in such a way as to have a bottom and an enveloping wall including planar parts that alternate with accordion-folded parts, each accordion-folded part being connected to first and second adjacent planar parts by first and second respective shared edges which meet at the bottom of the envelope in order to form a principal V-shaped fold, wherein the package may be unfolded to constitute a container suitable for holding a liquid for refrigerating the bottle in the container.
A packaging of this type is known, for example, from U.S. Pat. No. 5,094,359 and German Patent No. 1 205 005.
As is shown in particular by the latter document, such packaging can be used, specifically in its folded configuration, to protect its relatively fragile contents, such as a champagne bottle, from impact, and in its unfolded configuration, to fulfill the function of a champagne bucket.
An essential difficulty which must be overcome by the realization and use of such packaging lies in the absolute necessity of making this packaging water-tight in its unfolded configuration in spite of the possible deformations and surface wear which it may undergo from the time of manufacture to the time of final use.
In this context, the task of the invention is precisely to propose packaging which is specifically designed in response to this necessity.
For this purpose, in the packaging of the invention, in other respects in accordance with the definition given above, each accordion-folded part is folded on both sides of a planar folding line extending in zigzag form from the bottom of the envelope to a free edge of the envelope.
The main advantage thus offered by the arrangement of the invention is that the vertices formed by the folding lines are distributed along the folding line in a zigzag instead of being concentrated in the same region as disclosed, for example, by German Patent No. 1 205 005, since such a concentration promotes a significant increase in the fragility of the envelope in the region of concentration of the vertices.
In the preferred embodiment of the packaging of the invention, in addition to some first and second shared edges that define the principal V-shaped fold, each accordion-like part has internal folding lines that define at least two additional V-shaped folds, with the planar folding line passing through respective vertices of the principal V-shaped fold and of the additional V-shaped folds, and the additional V-shaped folds are imbricated one over the other and homothetic with respect to the principal V-shaped fold by translation along the planar folding line.
Thus, a second advantage of the invention, associated with the first, is that with the exception of the vertex corresponding to the principal V-shaped fold, the vertices formed by the folding lines are separated from the corners of the envelope, that is, from the regions of the envelope subject to the greatest risk of rupturing impact and/or wear.
Preferably, the planar parts form strips of equal length, with parallel edges, connected together by the bottom of the envelope, which is, for example, a convex polygon, wherein the planar parts delineate a star when the envelope is lying flat, with the number of arms equal to the order of the polygon.
In the simplest embodiment of the invention, the bottom, which can be a regular polygon, is advantageously at least a polygon of relatively low order, for example, a square or a rectangle, that is, a rectangular polygon of order four, where the star then assumes the form of a cross with four arms.
The packaging can furthermore have a reinforcement attached to the envelope, for example, by gluing, and covering at least partially the bottom and the planar parts of this envelope.
In order positively to hold the envelope in the unfolded position of the container, holding components are advantageously provided, these holding components comprising, for example, pairs of flaps that can be unfolded from the reinforcement, a first flap of each pair having a slit, and a second flap of this pair having a tab which is selectively inserted and retained in the slit.
In order better to withstand transport and present a nice appearance, the packaging of the invention can furthermore have a case in which the envelope is selectively inserted and held in folded position in order to protect the bottle.
Finally, the envelope is preferably covered, on its inner surface at least, with a water-resistant material such as a PET-plus-aluminum complex.